📖 The Book of James
Start reading →New Testament · 5 chapters · Epistle
Faith without works is dead — the practical demands of Christian living.
Who wrote James?
Author
James (brother of Jesus)
Written
c. AD 48
Genre
Epistle
Leader of the Jerusalem church.
Why James was written
A wisdom epistle calling Christians to prove the genuineness of their faith through how they live — under trials, in the use of the tongue, in partiality, in prayer, and in practical care for the poor.
Outline of James
- 11: Trials and temptations; hearing and doing
- 22: Partiality; faith and works
- 33: The tongue; heavenly wisdom
- 44: Quarrels; humility; planning without God
- 55: The rich; patience; prayer and restoration
Key verses
James 1:22James 2:17James 3:9-10James 5:16
How James points to Christ
James never uses Paul's language of justification but means something different by 'works' — visible evidence of a living faith. His teaching complements Paul's: the faith that justifies is a faith that also transforms.
How James begins
1James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.
Read James 1 →